What-Its-Name Was
Major Radio Sponsor
During Golden Age

Part I

Lincoln, Me. (DG)—

A few years ago, I read an interesting article on the Internet about the demise of American Home Products.  In its heyday, this company was famous for an array of well known products from pain relievers to spaghetti dinners.  It was also an unusual situation, because the products were well known, but very few people may have heard of the company. 

This lack of recognition also occurred during radio’s golden age.  American Home Products was among the elite group of major sponsors of that time--- yet the company wasn’t a household name like Procter & Gamble.  What you are about to read is the first of a 2-part series to pay a special tribute to American Home Products, the major radio sponsor few people heard of.

If you’re not familiar with AHP, it was the home of Anacin, BiSoDoL, Kolynos, Aerowax, Black Flag, and Chef Boy-Ar-Dee, to name just a few.  It would take me a week to list the individual companies that made up American Home Products.   In order to simplify all this, I’ll list AHP’s major divisions during the golden age.  They were Affiliated Products (cosmetics); Whitehall Pharmacal Company (drug products); Boyle-Midway (insecticides and cleaning products) and American Home Foods (self explanatory).

Since this is an article on a company few people heard of, the products mentioned here were radio sponsors, but they were not as well known as Anacin, BiSoDoL, Kolynos, Aerowax, etc.

The first AHP product is Jo-Cur Waveset (pronounced “joker”, a.k.a. Jo-Cuŕ ) from the Affiliated Products camp.  This product was the pre-aerosol era’s answer to hair spray.  It was a setting liquid that kept hair in place. 

During the mid 1930’s, Jo-Cur was known as the same French waveset creation many famous stage and screen stars of the era used for their attractive hairstyles.  For a fraction of the cost, Jo-Cur provided the same quality waveset as the beauty parlor.  All was required was to pour a little Jo-Cur on a comb, then apply it to the hair.  With the combination of Jo-Cur, comb, and human fingers, the Jo-Cur user had a professional looking hairstyle in a very short time.  Once it was applied to the hair, Jo-Cur kept its hold for a week without flaking.. 

Of the 3 programs I have come across with Jo-Cur as the sponsor, one of them has a particular interest.  This program was RICH MAN’S DARLING, a daytime serial program on the Columbia Network during the 1935-1936 radio season.  It starred Karl Swenson and Peggy Allenby as Packy and Peggy O’Farrell.  This program was heard Monday-Friday at 12:45 PM.  It was on the air for a little over a year until its final broadcast on Friday, March 26, 1937.  The program went off the air, but its main idea was being upgraded for its successor. 

The following Monday (March 29, 1937), the listeners heard the first broadcast of OUR GAL SUNDAY.  Swenson and Ms. Allenby appeared on the new serial, but sadly, Jo-Cur didn’t.  Anacin and Old English Wax were the new program’s sponsors (according To Radio Guide, Anacin sponsored OUR GAL SUNDAY Monday-Wednesday, and Old English Thursday and Friday).

Although it wasn’t heard much on the radio after RICH MAN’S DARLING, Jo-Cur was still a popular product.  There were still many satisfied Jo-Cur users who used either its green or clear wave set liquid for their hair.  It remained on the market into the 1960’s.

From AHP’s Whitehall Pharmacal Company division, Aspertane was another radio sponsor for a brief time.  As of this writing, I have found only 1 radio program this product sponsored--- Mutual’s NEWS & VIEWS WITH JOHN B HUGHES during the early 1940’s.   If you never heard of Aspertane, don’t feel bad--- I didn’t either until recently. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have any print ads or radio commercials for Aspertane, so the information given here is based from a picture of the product’s tin.  Please excuse me if any of this information is incorrect. 

Aspertane was a pain reliever like Anacin.  The difference, the dosage in Aspertane is larger than its pain relieving counterpart.  Inside a regulation Aspertane tablet consisted of the combination of 4 grains Aspirin and 1 grain Acetanilid.  I am inclined to think it was the era’s version of an “Extra Strength Pain Reliever.”  Of course, Aspertane relieved the aches and pains typical humans encountered.  Unlike Anacin, Aspertane’s stronger dosage was designed for adults only--- it was not to be given to children at any time.   

Aspertane was originally sold under the Blackstone name and was made by Blackstone Products Company, Inc.  Why I mention this, Sterling Drug (the home of Anacin’s #1 rival Bayer Aspirin) acquired the Blackstone line of pain relievers--- except Aspertane.  When AHP acquired Aspertane, the Blackstone name was dropped from the product’s name.

With the limited information given here, Aspertane is still a product of mystery.  After it concluded its sponsorship of NEWS & VIEWS WITH JOHN B. HUGHES, fellow Whitehall products Anacin and Kolynos took over sponsoring of the newscast.  It’s not known at this time how long Aspertane was sold after it sponsored the Hughes newscast.

AHP’s Boyle-Midway division was the home of Black Flag, one of the most popular insecticide brands.  Since Black Flag was a popular product for killing insect pests, it might be surprising Boyle-Midway also made a second insecticide brand--- FLY Ded.